Merrick 17/09/05

Myself and Helen headed down for this great race. Running conditions were good with a breeze and the clag down to about 6-700m to stop us overheating. My race went something like this. I was lying 4th for about the first half of the ascent and thought I’d started too fast as usual. Ronnie Gallagher and Adam Anderson then passed me and I attempted but failed to keep them in sight to the summit. The Rig of the Gloon was marked which I’m sure stopped a lot of people going astray in the mist. I was hoping to make up a bit of time on the descent but no-one appeared and I was resigning myself to my position until, coming out of the mist, I could see all 5 runners within a couple of minutes ahead. I knew I had to get up to them before the descent finished and put on an extra effort catching a Keswick and Annan runner. Starting up the next hill I was feeling tired and just managed to hold them off. The leading group of 3 were still in sight along the ridge to Buchan Hill but there was no chance I was going to get near them. I could hear the Keswick runner breathing heavily behind and managed to hold him off, then edged away on the final descent giving me a small but much needed buffer for the final uphill road section to the finish. What a great race and deserving of much greater popularity. Nat Taylor did an excellent job of organising (he had spent 5 hours the previous evening placing what must have been a car load of markers). Local radio enthusiasts were also helping with masts set up at a couple of points relaying split times to the finish. Helen had a good run with 1st lady despite “pansying around” on the descents, not wanting to injure herself in the run up to her world orienteering event in Italy in a couple of weeks.

1. Ronnie Gallagher 1.29.?

2. Adam Anderson

3. Annan runner

4. L Arnott 1.31

? Helen Palmer 1.57 1st Lady

29 runners